


A Conversation Can Lead to Understanding (If You Let It)

by starryrosez



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, Comfort, Conversations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryrosez/pseuds/starryrosez
Summary: Seeing that Lotor is down from the mistrust of the team, Keith- on a visit between missions with the Blade- goes to comfort him. The two discover they have a lot in common.





	A Conversation Can Lead to Understanding (If You Let It)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ForsakenAngel88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForsakenAngel88/gifts).



> Written for the [Keitor Exchange](https://keitorexchange.tumblr.com)

“I know how it feels.”

 

Lotor turns around towards the direction of the voice. It belongs to none other than the former black and red paladin himself: Keith. He is leaning against the doorframe with his arms and legs crossed and staring down intently at Lotor. He’s still in his Marmora suit, indicating that he’s just come back from a mission. He’s quite attractive, the black hair and the purple eyes make him look like a beauty. He’s certainly got to have a few girls tailing after him, and possibly even boys. 

 

“What?” Lotor asks.

 

Keith blinks before shaking his head, his face turning slightly red as he pushes himself off of the doorframe and walks over to where Lotor is sitting down. For a moment, Lotor believes Keith is going to sit down but he doesn’t, instead choosing to cross his arms again. This close up, Lotor finds out to his amusement that the boy is actually quite short and that if he stood, he would tower over Keith.

 

“Being hated by everybody on the ship, I mean,” Keith corrects himself, “Having nobody trust you because you’re half-galra? I know how it feels.”

 

Lotor laughs in disbelief, “You have no idea…”

 

“But I do,” Keith interrupts.

 

Lotor doesn’t believe him. Keith couldn’t understand being treated as an outcast by his own father just because he’s not a pure galra. He couldn’t possibly understand not having a mother his entire life, not knowing what she was like, what her touches felt like, what it’s like to have love from one’s mother. Keith wouldn’t understand the years of isolation, moving from planet to planet under his father’s orders and never feeling like he belonged. He wouldn’t understand the feeling of beginning to finally fall in love with the people of that planet, falling in love with their culture and rich history, before Zarkon destroying it all before Lotor’s very own eyes. He won’t understand what it’s like to finally a group of people who understand him, a family, and a sense of belonging in friends, only to lose them because of a selfish decision. No, Keith will never understand. Nobody can. 

 

After an eternity of silence, Keith finally sits down on the steps across from Lotor and hunches over, twiddling his fingers in thought. When he’s pondering about something, Keith’s eyebrows knit together and his forehead creases, which Lotor finds oddly endearing. Finally, Keith straightens up and stops fidgeting with his hands. He clears his thought. 

 

“When I was just a baby, my mother left Earth to continue her duties with the Blade,” Keith confesses. This captures Lotor’s attention and he looks at Keith with a look of sympathy as Keith continues,”I have no memory of her. I have no idea what she’s like, dad never talks about my mom. I don’t know what she looks like, there’s not a single photo of her. I don’t even know her name.” He takes out a knife from his pocket. “The only trace I have left of her is this stupid knife.”

 

“Wow,” Lotor responds reaching over to place a hand on Keith’s. The human looks up, his violet meeting Lotor’s with a look of understanding, “I never knew.”

 

“My dad and I were never close. We were always fighting and one day, he just left.”

 

Lotor laughs, “I know how that feels. Try having the universe’s biggest dictator for a father.”

 

Keith chuckles in response, “Right. We’ve met.”

 

Trying to lighten up the mood, Lotor playfully bumps his shoulder with Keith, “What, did you impulsively attack him like you did with me once?”

 

Keith’s face turns crimson as he turns his head away, “No.” 

 

Lotor continues to laugh as he stands up, “Were you always moving around?”

 

“Constantly, I was placed in the foster care system after my dad left and every single family  _ hated _ me.”

 

Lotor tilts his head, “What’s a foster care system?”

 

“Oh, it’s a program the United States has for orphaned children under the age of 18. They’re put under the supervision of a guardian that basically provides the basic needs, kind of like a pseudo parent, but not exactly…”

 

“That sounds nice,” Lotor says, “That way every child has the chance to grow up with a loving family--

 

“It’s not,” Keith cuts in. “Only the cute little kids end up with a loving family. The rats like me: they get tossed around every few or so months. Never felt like I belonged.”

 

Lotor frowns, his heart going to the human, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

 

“Don’t be,” Keith waves his hand dismissively. “I eventually got a full-ride scholarship to the Garrison, and there I met Shiro.” His eyes twinkle fondly as he mentions the leader of Voltron. “And eventually I found myself here, with a team and a group of the greatest friends I could ever ask for.”

 

“Except…”

 

Keith looks down at his Marmora suit, “It was my choice. The others agreed that it was perhaps for the best. I don’t regret my decision.”

 

He may have said that, but the look on Keith’s face tells another story. He recognizes it for he has seen it on his own face too often to admit it. He did  _ have _ some regret leaving. He cares about his friends but he felt like he didn’t belong with them anymore, and so he left them.

 

Lotor sits back down on the stairs, this time next to Keith and pats his shoulder, “I understand. Everybody mistrusts you because you’re half-galra--

 

“Allura refused to talk to me for weeks,” Keith sighs, “And if she looked at me it was always with the most disdain look, as if,” Keith looks down at his hands, “As if I was suddenly a monster.”

 

“Yeah,” Lotor thinks back to all the times Allura has given him dirty looks before they became friends. He’s been on the receiving end of that, and that was certainly something not fun, “I hate that too.”

 

Keith smiles bitterly, “See? We surprisingly have a lot in common.”

 

“We do,” Lotor laughs, “Thank you for being here. I really needed it.”

 

Keith looks down at the floor, his cheeks reddening, “It’s not really a big deal. You just looked like you needed some company…”

 

“But I really do appreciate it. Your company,” Lotor smiles as he takes Keith’s hand, “It’s nice to know you’re not alone.”

 

Keith smiles back, looking at down at their joined hands, “Yeah, it is.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Unedited so sorry for all the mistakes!  
> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated! <3


End file.
